How often should you wash your natural hair?

Many naturals wonder how often is appropriate to wash their hair. There are no set rules, of course. You should wash your hair as often as you need to. You basically want to get rid of dirt and excess oil, and be able to style your hair the way you want to.

Wash your hair more often, every day to every few days, if your hair is excessively oily, dirty or if its pretty short. You should also wash more often if you have dandruff or another medical issue. If you choose to wash this often, be sure to condition you hair often and consider keeping your hair in protective styles for the majority of the time.

Lots of naturals choose to wash once a week. This is a good frequency for those who don’t have very oily hair that is of medium length.

The longer your hair is, the more time you can wait between washes, which can be every two or three weeks, or even once a month. This may sound shocking to those who think washing so infrequently is gross, but because it takes time for oil to move from your scalp all the way down the hair follicle, your hair will generally be less oily. Dirt needs oil to attach itself to, so if your hair is not too oily, it’s probably not going to be too dirty either.

However often you wash your natural hair, if you cowash, or use conditioner to wash your hair, you should use shampoo every so often to get rid of the build up that occurs from the conditioner. You could also clarify your hair using an apple cider vinegar rinse.